I've had mine about six months and took on a pretty tough job in a tenanted house. I usually hire a machine but am glad I got this after reading a very positive review in Good Housekeeping. My only gripe is that the water capacity is a bit small leading to more frequent changes. I'm really glad I got it as the advantage is you can clean more frequently (not that I'm overdoing it!) and so the carpets stay cleaner.

Not cheap, but well worth the investment. Quite heavy and bulky, so bear in mind carrying it and your available storage space. However, it is blessedly quiet ( compared to our previous device) and excellently effective. However, that's partly due to the permanently rotating brush bar, which will start, inevitably, removing the stray pile, from woollen carpets especially. You'll know because it will gather as a damp lump, to be removed and thrown away. It would be useful to be able to switch off this brush bar if it got too enthusiastic, even if cleaning were slightly compromised, but it's permanently on.The water bucket design is clever and easy to use.

Bought this beast of a machine last month and so far have been impressed with its efficiency. There were delivery problems, and a tool for stairs should really have been included, but the Bissell customer service has been good enough to leave me very satisfied with the overall experience.